Underwire bra having self adjusting fit

ABSTRACT

An underwire brassiere having increased comfort through responsive adaptability to breast variations, in both cup configuration and location, while affording underwire separation and uplift support characteristics ordinarily associated with an underwire brassiere.

nitefl States Patent Erteszek 1 1 Mar. 27, 1973 UNDERWIRE BRA HAVING SELF- 2,896,631 7 1959 Block ..l28/475 ADJUSTING FIT 2,967,527 1/1961 Maas ..l28/465 Inventor: Erteszek Los g Gingras X [73] Asslgnee: Olga Company van Nuys! Calif Primary Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder [22] Filed: Jan. 24, 1972 Att0rneyH. Calvin White et al.

[21] Appl. No.: 220,227

[57] ABSTRACT 5 E 3 5' 128/465 An underwne brass1ere having mcreased comfort Field of Search "'g ",'11%6" through responsive adaptability to breast ariations in 128/473 475, 476 477, 494 both cup configuranon and locat1on, while affording underwire separation and uplift support charactenstics 5 References Cited ordinarily associated with an underwire brassiere.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 2,483,274 9/1949 Gluckin ..l28/472 PAIENTEDHAR271975 ,722,513

SHEET 10F 2 Ira 1:

UNDERWIRE BRA HAVING SELF-ADJUSTING FIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention has to do with underwire brassieres and is more particularly concerned with such garments having constructional aspects ensuring enhanced wearer comfort without sacrifice of support, separation and uplift characteristics expectably found in an underwire brassiere.

PRIOR ART Underwire brassieres are known. These garments incorporate U-shaped wire members at the cups to provide increased support for the breasts as well as greater separation and uplift for a more attractive figure. Generally the inner and outer edge margins of the brassiere cups are secured. respectively to inner and outer legs of the U-shaped wire members which legs serve to better define the cups and provide additional support thereto over entirely cloth brassiere construction. A drawback of heretofore known underwire brassieres is an inability to comfortably accommodate body movement. The brassiere cups tend to move with the body and can shift the rather rigid wire members to which they are completely connected, out of position, even onto the breast, where they remain, to the considerable discomfort of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a major objective of the present invention to obtain the support, separation and uplift advantages of an underwire brassiere in a garment having increased comfort in use through more adaptive and accommodating fit on the wearer.

More particularly, the present invention provides an underwire brassiere in which the breast receiving cups are responsively variable in both configuration and location to accommodate body movements and to adapt to variations in the wearers body arising e.g., through periodic temporary retention of body fluids or disu niformities between a wearers breasts.

Specifically, the invention provides an underwire brassiere comprising a longitudinally tensionable back strap extending about the wearer, a pair of breast cups connected to each other at their inner edge margins and to the back strap at their outer edge margins, and a U-shaped wire member at each cup having a base, an inner leg and an outer leg. Each cup is secured to the member base and outer leg at its outer edge margin and to the member inner leg at the top of its inner edge margin for underwire support of the cup. Novelly, the cup inner edge margin is locally free of securement to the U-shaped member below the .cup top enabling wearer responsive movement of the cup inner edge margin to vary the cup configuration, while maintaining the underwire supported relation.

Other features of the present garment include shoulder straps between the back strap and the cups and the cups being connected to each other at the point of attachment to the inner leg and below that point, as well. The mentioned cup connections may be vertically spaced and define a variable opening therebetween to provide for varying cup separation responsive to a greater or less extension of the defined intercup opening. The cup inner edge margins typically overlie the member inner legs and may be connected to each other at a second point, below the top of the cup and above the midpoint of the member base, which second point connection may be free of securement to the U-shaped member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be further described as to an illustrative embodiment thereof in conjunction with the attached drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an underwire brassiere according to the invention, in the worn condition;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view in front elevation, of the front center portion of the underwire brassiere showing minimum cup separation;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical section taken on line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 2 taken from the rear and along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, and partly broken away;

FIG. 5 is a view in horizontal section taken along line 55 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 4, partly broken away, showing an increased cup separation and upward displacement of the cup inner edge margins to vary the cup configurations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 an underwire brassiere is shown at l. The brassiere 1 comprises a back strap 2, left and right breast receiving cups 3, connected to each other at the center front 4 of the brassiere and to the back strap at 5, and also to the back strap by means of shoulder straps 6 and connectors 7.

Strap 2 is fabricated of elasticized fabric such as Spandex or the like to be longitudinally tensionable. The cups 3 are fabricated of cloth which is edged and seamed with reinforcement at 8 and 9, as shown, into the indicated cup shape. Elasticized top bands 10a are provided along the cup upper edge from the point of attachment of strap connector 7 and along the top of back strap 2. Elasticized bottom band 10b extends along the lower edge of the garment.

Underwire support is provided to the cups 3 by relatively rigid U-shaped wire members 1 I inserted in semicircularly extended pockets 12 sewn to elasticized strap 2 and triangular insert 13. The wire receiving pockets 12 are stitched to the cups 3 along the cup outer edge margins 14 which extend from a midpoint 15 in the wire support member 11 outward to the top bands 10a. Accordingly, the wire support members 11 are supported on the wearer by the tensioned back strap 2 and extend on either side of the breast carried within the cup 3.

Each cup 3 is secured to the inner leg 16 of the wire member 1 1 at its upper inward extremity 17 by connection to the pocket 12 at 18 and to insert 13 between the member legs 16. In this manner the inner portions of cups 3 are supported by the wire member 11.

Importantly, the inner edge margin 19 of the cups 3, edge trimmed with covering 19a, extending from just below cup corner extremity 17 to the midpoint 15 of the U-shaped wire member 11 is free of securement to the member inner leg 16, which passes beneath the inner edge margin to the connection point 18.

The free inner edge margins 19 of cups 3 are accordingly movable relative to the member 11. The relatively inward or outward location of its inner edge margin 19 correspondingly varies the configuration of each cup 3, and independently, permitting, for example, deepening or other shape variation as needed to accommodate the wearer and responsive to merely donning the garment. This is highly advantageous when a wearers breasts vary from normal size or shape temporarily and where brassiere size is a compromise between ideal sizes for the breasts considered individually. Moreover, cup movement with the breasts is possible without wire movement, obviating misplacement of the wire members and resultant wearer discomfort.

The free inner edge margins 19 of the cups3 are connected to each other at a point vertically below the support point of the cups by the wire inner leg 16 and typically atthe lowermost junction of the cups, as shown. In preferred embodiments hereof, the inner edge margins 19 are point interconnected e.g., at 18 and 20 and free of interconnection therebetween to thereby define a variable opening 21.

Provision of opening 21 enables relatively more or less separation of cups 3 depending on the increase or decrease respectively in the gap at opening 21, compare F168. 2 and 6, which increase or decrease is determined by the fitting of the garment onto the wearers breasts. The opening 21 provides a further degree of freedom in the present brassiere, that of cup separation, which, combined with variability in cup configuration, both being responsive to the wearer, allows greatly increased comfort by accommodating periodic variation in breast size and lack of perfect size correspondence of the breasts of the wearer.

Body movement too is accommodated by the cups without dislodgement of the wire support from its proper position, saving the wearer discomfort and the annoyance of continual repositioning.

These responsive adjustments, moreover, occur while underwire support and separation are lent to the wearer.

I claim:

1. An underwire brassiere comprising a longitudinally tensionable back strap extending about the wearer, a pair of breast cups connected to each other at their inner edge margins and to the back strap at their outer edge margins, and a U-shaped wire member at each cup, said member having a base, an inner leg and an outer leg, each cup being secured to its member base and outer leg at its outer edge margin and to said inner leg at the top of its inner edge margin for underwire support of said cup, each cup inner edge margin being locally free of securement to said member below the cup top for wearer responsive movement to vary its cup configuration in said unerwire supported relation.

2. Brassiere according to claim 1 in which said cups are connected to each other at the point of attachment to said member inner leg and below said point.

3. Brassiere according to claim 1 including also vertically spaced connections between said cup inner edge margins defining a variable opening therebetween for varying cup separation.

4. Brassiere according to claim 1 including also shoulder straps between the back strap and said cu s.

Brassiere according to claim 1 in which sai cup inner edge margins overlie said member inner legs, said inner edge margins being connected to each other at a second point below the top of the cup and above the midpoint of said member base and free of securement to said member at said second point.

6. Brassiere according to claim 5 including also shoulder straps between the back strap and said cups.

7. Brassiere according to claim 6 in which said cups are connected to each other at the point of attachment to said member inner leg and below said point.

8. Brassiere according to claim 7 in which said cup inner edge margin connections are vertically spaced to define a variable opening between the cups, the lower of said connections being free of securement to said member, for varying cup configuration and separation responsive to the wearer. 

1. An underwire brassiere comprising a longitudinally tensionable back strap extending about the wearer, a pair of breast cups connected to each other at their inner edge margins and to the back strap at their outer edge margins, and a U-shaped wire member at each cup, said member having a base, an inner leg and an outer leg, each cup being secured to its member base and outer leg at its outer edge margin and to said inner leg at the top of its inner edge margin for underwire support of said cup, each cup inner edge margin being locally free of securement to said member below the cup top for wearer responsive movement to vary its cup configuration in said unerwire supported relation.
 2. Brassiere according to claim 1 in which said cups are connected to each other at the point of attachment to said member inner leg and below said point.
 3. Brassiere according to claim 1 including also vertically spaced connections between said cup inner edge margins defining a variable opening therebetween for varying cup separation.
 4. Brassiere according to claim 1 including also shoulder straps between the back strap and said cups.
 5. Brassiere according to claim 1 in which said cup inner edge margins overlie said member inner legs, said inner edge margins being connected to each other at a second point below the top of the cup and above the midpoint of said member base and free of securement to said member at said second point.
 6. Brassiere according to claim 5 including also shoulder straps between the back strap and said cups.
 7. Brassiere according to claim 6 in which said cups are connected to each other at the point of attachment to said member inner leg and below said point.
 8. Brassiere according to claim 7 in which said cup inner edge margin connections are vertically spaced to define a variable opening between the cups, the lower of said connections being free of securement to said member, for varying cup configuration and separation responsive to the wearer. 